The longing for something familiar is a common feeling among human nature – whether it is longing for more innocent times, such as one’s childhood, or longing for a fond memory that brings happiness. This feeling is more commonly known as nostalgia, which was the inspiration for designer Bumsuk Choi’s General Idea SS’11 collection that debuted on Wednesday in the tents.
Choi mentions in his show notes about how the contemporary man “pursues speed and relies on the fastest options.” In his eyes, he felt that with this idea, the process of creation is sacrificed, which was the very joy he feels working in fashion and design. For the General Idea collection this time, he says he took his time to enjoy this process and designed accordingly.
What Choi sent down the runway during his show, titled “Slow,” was a collection full of natural colors and hues as well as simple silhouettes in which he attempts to tie them to the theme of nostalgia. The pieces were basics made of primarily cotton, linen and polyester using neutral colors like beige, khaki, and black with splashes of red and blue scattered throughout the show.
Many of the first looks donned pieces that may remind of one’s boyhood – a bold, red newsboy cap, rolled-up khaki shorts with drawstring belting, and brightly colored plaid shirts paired with sneakers. As the show progressed, splashes of bold graphics and prints started to show up on the runway, with trousers splattered with bright paint colors and block lettering splashed across t-shirts that triggered nostalgia for childhood. In the end, Choi presented a paint-splattered poncho that was simple, artistic and most of all, fun.
The collection overall may be filled with basics, but Choi captures the artistic sense of mixing bold colors with simple silhouettes, which makes his menswear designs rather avant-garde, yet appealing to a wide audience.
Images: General Idea
